Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann faces perils of his poll promises

Mann stares at a twin-headed monster: Resuscitating the state's debilitated public-sector enterprises and controlling the spiralling debt

His Cabinet and bride are finally in place. A powerful bureaucrat and a politician have already been snared in the anti-corruption net. Now it’s time for Bhagwant Mann to consummate his chief ministership. The few months that Mann has been at the helm in Punjab haven’t been easy. 

The road ahead looks even more perilous. While floundering security, a burgeoning narco-economy, proliferating gang wars, and tensions caused by Sikh theological churning will be constant companions, Mann’s primary concern will be resurrecting Punjab’s flailing economy.

What has set the alarm bells ringing is the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) recent observation that Punjab